(11/24/06) MINEOLA ? Despite a harsh warning from Nassau DA Kathleen Rice about drunk driving, suspected drunk drivers still got behind the wheel during the first two nights of the long holiday weekend.

As of Friday afternoon, 20 people had been arrested for DWI in Nassau and 19 were cuffed in Suffolk. Rice says drunk driving is an epidemic, and not everyone seems to be getting the message. Despite Rice?s tough stance, driving drunk is still a traffic infraction that can bring no more than a year behind bars.

Some think punishments should be made tougher. In addition, many people support Rice?s hard line stance on plea bargains. However, Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota says completely eliminating plea bargains is just not practical. He claims the amount of cases would tie up the courts.

Related information: DWI plea bargains drive wedge between LI residents Nassau blankets roads with cops to snag holiday drunk drivers